Department of Microbiology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China.
J Thorac Dis. 2013 Aug;5 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S118-21. doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2072-1439.2013.06.19.
Four coronaviruses (HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-NL63, HCoV-HKU1) are endemic in humans and mainly associated with mild respiratory illnesses; whereas the other two coronaviruses [Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)] present as emerging infections causing severe respiratory syndrome. Coronaviruses evolve by accumulation of point mutations and recombination of genomes among different strains or species. Mammalian coronaviruses including those infect humans are evolved from bat coronaviruses. While SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV are genetically closely related to bat coronaviruses, intermediate host(s) is (are) likely to be involved in the emergence and cross-species transmission of these novel human viruses. High prevalence of SARS-like coronaviruses have been found from masked palm civet cats and raccoon dogs collected from markets around the time of outbreaks in humans, but these animals are likely to be a transient accidental host rather than a persisting reservoir. More research is needed to elucidate the ecology of coronaviruses. Vigilance and surveillance should be maintained to promptly identify newly emerged coronaviruses.
四种冠状病毒（HCoV-229E、HCoV-OC43、HCoV-NL63、HCoV-HKU1）在人类中普遍存在，主要与轻度呼吸道疾病有关；而另外两种冠状病毒[严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒（SARS-CoV）和中东呼吸综合征冠状病毒（MERS-CoV）]则表现为新兴感染，导致严重的呼吸道综合征。冠状病毒通过在不同株或种之间积累点突变和基因组重组而进化。包括感染人类的哺乳动物冠状病毒均来源于蝙蝠冠状病毒。虽然 SARS-CoV 和 MERS-CoV 在基因上与蝙蝠冠状病毒密切相关，但中间宿主（s）可能参与了这些新型人类病毒的出现和跨种传播。在人类暴发期间，从市场上采集的蒙面棕榈狸猫和浣熊犬中发现了高比例的 SARS 样冠状病毒，但这些动物可能是偶然的、一过性的宿主，而不是持续的储存宿主。需要进一步的研究来阐明冠状病毒的生态学。应保持警惕和监测，以便及时发现新出现的冠状病毒。
